Sacrifice
by ShepardCommander147
Summary: Set in the events of Mass Effect 1 Shepard is called on a mission from the council after his mission on Noveria. The story involves a mission and some social time with Liara :). Please leave feedback as this is my first story I've ever seriously worked on.
1. Chapter 1

**Sacrifice**

Shepard felt as the docking clamps released their grip on the Normandy giving the ship a slight shutter, Shepard watched as the unforgiving blizzard raged on outside pummeling the Normandy's hull as the ship quickly ascended into the atmosphere.

"Where to Commander?" Joker said hesitantly almost afraid to break Shepard's trance.

"Just get us away from this god forsaken planet," Shepard said as he headed back to the CIC.

Shepard was furious, he kept replaying the scene over and over could he have saved Benezia? Could he have taken her in somehow? It wasn't fair, Liara didn't deserve this and he was going to make someone pay for it, Saren, the Geth, the Reapers it didn't matter to him. Someone was going to pay for this. Shepard headed down to Liara's quarters in the back of the med bay. He paused before pushing the intercom, what was he going to say what could he say? He pushed his finger against the panel anyway.

"L-Liara, do you have a minute?" Shepard said nervously

"Yes, come in Shepard," Liara said trying to keep her composure.

Shepard opened the doors to the room and walked in slowly, Liara was sitting at her desk he could see the emotion on her face.

"Liara… I- "

"Shepard it wasn't your fault," Liara shot back to Shepard.

"No Liara, I could've done something different. I could've talked her down or taken her alive somehow," Shepard said.

"You know that isn't true Shepard you can't save everyone, you're just one man!" Liara said as she stood up.

Shepard walked closer to her and her eyes started to water he knew right now she needed him. At that point it didn't matter who did it, her mother was dead and she needed him to be there for him. Shepard wrapped his arms around Liara as she began sobbing into his chest.

"I'm here for you" he whispered into her ears as she continued to sob at the loss of her mother one of the only people she'd ever cared about up until a few weeks ago.

Suddenly the intercom buzzed to life, "Commander the council is waiting for a report on Noveria"

Reluctantly releasing his grip on Liara, "Alright, give me a few minutes Joker."

"Aye aye Commander," Joker said as the line closed abruptly.

"You'd better not keep the council waiting Shepard," Liara said as she started walking back to her desk.

"Wait," Shepard said as he grabbed her arm, "I'm here for you if you need to talk I'll always be there for you Liara," Shepard said sincerely as he wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Thank you Shepard… I just need some time," she said as she returned to her desk.


	2. Chapter 2

Shepard opened the door and headed up the stairs to the com room, he paused for a minute trying to gain some composure before addressing the council.

"Patch the council through Joker," Shepard said.

A few moments passed before the projectors sprung to life projecting each councilor.

"Is this report accurate Commander, you found Rachni on Noveria?" The Asari council spoke with a mix of disbelief and anger.

"And then you released the queen, do you have ANY idea what you've done?! How many generations before they overrun the galaxy?" Said the Turian Councilor

"This queen is different!" Shepard shot back, "She understands why her kind had to be wiped out last time around!"

"I hope you're right Shepard or else our children's children will be the ones to pay for it!" The Turian councilor said in sheer disbelief of what Shepard had done.

"There are other more pressing matters to attend to at the moment anyway, an Asari science vessel has been hijacked in the Arghos Rho cluster, we need you to secure the ship immediately" The Asari councilor responded with a sense of urgency in her voice.

"Why do you need a Spectre to retake a science vessel councilor?" said Shepard.

The Salarian councilor said reluctantly, "The ship was more than just… a simple science vessel. It was a joint project between the STG and the Asari as a means of… keeping the Krogan in check"

"So you let sensitive data fall into the hands of pirates now you need me to go clean up your mistake!" Shepard shot back in anger

"If we don't keep the Krogan in check they will overrun the galaxy and they're hardly diplomatic Commander!" The Turian councilor shot back.

"More importantly if that data gets released there will be serious diplomatic repercussions from the Krogan and we need you to secure it Commander," the Asari councilor said.

"Who are we dealing with? Do they know what kind of data they have?" Shepard asked

"No so far they've only made small demands to the Asari government, they appear to be oblivious to what they have. Either way we aren't taking chances we need you to take that ship and eliminate any hijackers aboard, no loose ends" the Asari councilor said.

"Try to keep our casualties to a minimum but securing that data is your primary objective Commander" Said the Turian councilor.

"We'll be waiting for your report Commander," the Asari spoke before the line went dead and the projections vanished.

"Joker set a course Arghos cluster and have the stealth systems engaged on arrival," Shepard said.

"Aye aye Commander, I'll notify you when we arrive" Joker said as the com went silent.

Shepard had a lot on his mind as he headed down to his quarters, he just needed to sleep on it. He opened the door to his quarters and began changing out of his uniform. As Shepard started taking off his shirt the door sprung open, it was Liara.

"Oh forgive me Shepard, I didn't mean to intrude like this" She said nervously as her blue skin started to turn red, "I should go".

"Wait. Liara it's fine what did you need?" Shepard asked.

"It's nothing I just wanted to thank you for being here for me that's all but you're probably tired, I don't want to disturb you further." She said trying not to stare at Shepard.

"Liara, you're never a bother to me" Shepard said as he put on his shirt.

Liara blushed and said, "Thank you Shepard everything you've done for me… It really means a lot to me."

Shepard walked over to the door and pulled Liara into his arms, "We'll get through this" as he kissed her on the forehead.

"I know we will, have a good night Shepard" She replied as she gave him a final hug before departing for med bay.

Shepard closed the door and finished changing and sat down on his bed, "Just need to get some rest before the mission," he thought to himself as he laid down on the bed.


	3. Chapter 3

"They're breaking through our defenses we need to seal th- "

"This is Shepard come in are you still there?!" Shepard said as he frantically ran toward the perimeter, "This is Shepard, respond dammit!" he yelled one last time hoping for a response. As Shepard approached the colony's perimeter he could hear explosions and the scream of the soldiers as they were cut down by the overwhelming opposition. Shepard readied his rifle and secured a position by a nearby shattered barricade. He began firing the sound of the assault rifle was all he could remember as he tore through squad after squad of batarians. One last shot woke him up to the sound of the intercom,

"Commander we're one hour out, just thought I'd give you a heads up," Joker said.

"Thanks Joker," Shepard said as the line went dead.

Shepard sat up slowly in his bed trying not to think of the Blitz, many people in the Alliance thought the Blitz was heroic but he just saw a massacre. Shepard climbed out of bed and changed into his uniform. Shepard gathered himself and headed to Liara's quarters. He placed his finger on the intercom, "Liara mind if I come in for a bit?" Shepard asked.

"Of course not Shepard," Liara said.

He opened the door to find Liara sitting at her desk reading through some council reports on the Geth. He walked up behind her and put his arms around her neck and kissed her on the head. Liara rested her head against his arms and said, "Well someone is happy to see me"

"Who wouldn't be happy to see you?" Shepard said as he released her. "I'm going to need that big blue head of yours for a mission"

"Something Prothean?" she asked.

Shepard leaned up against the desk, "No, an Asari science frigate has been hijacked by pirates. Normally not our problem but apparently it's an Asari-STG joint task force doing research on the genophage, council wants us to go in and clean up their mess. Again. Should be a simple mission though, intel suggests it's just a disorganized group of mercs trying to make a few quick credits from a ransom. I need you in engineering bypassing security while the strike team is on board," Shepard said.

"Sounds doable," she said, "but I'll need someone to back me up while I make the necessary bypasses."

"I'll be right behind you," Shepard said.

"Then I suppose we're all set," Liara said as she stood up from her desk, "Now you'd better get to the bridge, Commander. Wouldn't want you to be late now would we?" She said as she reached up and wrapped her arms around Shepard.

"I could always make an exception" Shepard said as he kissed Liara on the forehead. She blushed as she let go of him, "See you on the Bridge," he said as he walked out of her room.

Shepard walked up the stairs and entered the CIC, "Presley have we located the transponder signal the Council forwarded us?"

"Yes sir, we're approaching the ship now," Presley said as Liara and the rest of the crew walked into the CIC.

"All right, Kaidan I want you and Ashley to take a few marines and secure the data and the hostages. Liara and I will secure engineering and bypass any lockouts and transfer control back to us. Garrus I need you and Tali covering our exit," Shepard said as he looked over his team.

"Try not to have too much fun without us," said Garrus.

Shepard looked over at Garrus and punched him in the arm, "Don't die out there, Garrus"

"Like you need to tell me twice Shepard," Garrus said.

"Joker take us in nice and quiet, just get to an access port and Liara will do the rest," said Shepard as the Normandy pulled in close to the Asari ship.

"Let's just hope they don't look out a window Commander," Joker said as the Normandy seamlessly made contact with one of the frigates hatches.


	4. Chapter 4

Liara effortlessly bypassed the airlock as the rest of the team made their way onto the ship.

"You ready?" said Shepard as he walked up behind her.

"Of course, I'm just not used to these kinds of situations," she said.

"You'll get used to it don't worry," he said as he stepped through the airlock.

"I'm not sure I'd like to be used to hostage situations and retrieving data that could compromise galactic stability," she said as she followed him into the airlock.

"I suppose you make a good point," he said turning the corridor.

"Shepard!" Liara yelled softly, "Engineering is this way remember?" beckoning him to the other corridor.

"Of course, just making sure you read the schematics," Shepard said as he turned to follow Liara.

The two slowly made their way to engineering careful to not set off any alarms or run into any patrols. As they made it to the engineering corridor Shepard beckoned Liara to stay behind them as they approached the door.

"Keep your head down" Shepard said as he drew his pistol. Shepard quickly breached the door with his biotics and gunned down three pirates with stunning precision each one dropping before they could retaliate. Shepard quickly moved in to check for any more guards while Liara went to work on bypassing the ships security.

"Strike team this is Shepard; we've secured engineering" he said as he holstered his pistol.

"Copy that Commander" said Kaidan "We're moving into the mess hall now, standby".

"How are we doing?" Shepard said as he moved over to the main terminal where Liara was working.

"Good. I've almost bypassed most of the security, though most of the essential systems like navigation and communications are going to take time." Liara said

"Commander it's a massacre down here, I don't think we're going to find much of the original crew. At least not alive that is," Kaidan said.

"Copy that, keep moving to the elevator," said Shepard.

Kaidan's team moved through the maze of bodies in the mess hall and proceeded to the corridor. Suddenly gunshots rang out over the com, "Strike team what's your status!" Shepard yelled through his ear piece.

"We're all right commander just ran into a small patrol, no casualties," Kaidan said with a sigh of relief.

"Lieutenant, I've bypassed the lock out on the elevator your team should be able to access it now," Liara said.

"Thanks T'Soni," Kaidan said as he and his team moved into the elevator.

As Kaidan's team moved up to the main deck Liara continued her work on bypassing the last of the security lock outs. Kaidan pulled up the schematics of the ship on his omni-tool and surveyed the ship layout, "All right Williams and I are going to clear and secure the labs, I need you three to keep our exit secure," Kaidan said as the elevator began to come to a stop at the top deck.

Williams interrupted, "Sir what about the hostages?"

"The mission comes first Williams" Kaidan said as the elevator came to a gentle stop. Kaidan and Ashley moved down the corridor to the labs while the marines set up a perimeter.

"Commander, we're securing the labs now, no patrols so far," Kaidan said as he moved to a terminal.

"Good, that confirms our intel these pirates don't have a clue what kind of information they have," Shepard said.


	5. Chapter 5

"Starting the download now, this is going to take some time Commander," Kaidan said.

"Normandy to Shepard, we've lost contact with the marines. What's going on down there?" Presley said

"Kaidan we've lost contact with the rest of your team, can you confirm?" Shepard said

"…Confirmed Commander coms gone dark," Kaidan said, "orders Commander?".

"That data is your top priority Lieutenant; I'll try to reestablish contact with them." Shepard said as he reached for his pistol, "Liara… stay safe," Shepard said as he approached the door.

"Wait Shepard," Liara said, "there is a maintenance shaft up ahead. It should allow you to gain access to the main deck undetected."

"Copy that," Shepard said as he made his way down the corridor. He found the maintenance shaft Liara told him about and pried it open. Shepard began making his way up the shaft to the main deck, "Kaidan how are we doing on the data?" Shepard said as he made his way further up the shaft.

"We're at about 30% completion Commander," Kaidan said

"All right, I'm almost through the shaft." Shepard said as he climbed into the tunnel. Shepard made his way to the access port and slowly removed the end as to not attract attention. He grabbed his pistol and slowly made his way to the corridor where the marines were guarding. The walls of the corridor appeared to be damaged, most likely the aftermath of a firefight. He proceeded further down the corridor, "Liara I need access to the bridge but I'm locked out," Shepard said as he hunkered down by the door.

"I'll see what I can do Shepard," Liara said.

A few moments later the door slid open allowing Shepard access. Debris was everywhere which provided ample cover for him to scout out the rest of the bridge. He moved further into the bridge where he heard the yelling of a few pirates, "What are you doing here humans! Did the Asari send you to try and take us out!" The pirate yelled.

Shepard moved to a crate further up to try and get a better view of what was going on. He could see three batarians interrogating the marines and what looked like the leader of this band of pirates observing the ordeal. The marines were sitting in the corner of the bridge with the three interrogators while the captain appeared to be communicating with someone else through a terminal. Shepard readied his pistol waiting for the right time to strike. Shepard could see a crate lying close by him and used his biotics to hurl the crate at the interrogators. The crate hit the first interrogator at terminal velocity flinging the batarians clear across the room. The other two batarians tried to reach for their weapons but they were quickly dispatched by Shepard. Shepard leaped up from behind the crate facing the pirate captain, though the captain was pointing his gun at one of the marines.

"Drop your weapon human or I'll kill him." The captain said as two more batarians rushed into the room pointing their guns at Shepard.

"That's the best you've got, pirate?" Shepard said as he scanned the room

Just then the com burst to life, "Captain we found an Asari in engineering, I think she was with the humans we found!" said one of the batarians.

"Bring her to the bridge immediately, if she resists kill her" said the Captain

"If you touch her I'll kill every last one of you" Shepard said instinctively as he stepped forward to the Captain. The doors sprang open as two batarians walked with their guns pointing at Liara.

"Drop your weapon or the Asari dies!" The Captain yelled at Shepard.

"Shepard just shoot him!" Liara yelled as she was smacked down by the butt of the batarians rifle.

"Quite Asari!" the batarian yelled.

Shepard dropped his pistol, "Go to hell you four eyed bastard".

The Captain smiled and said, "Kill the other humans they're just a liability, I think we've found much better leverage."

"You bastard!" Shepard said as he charged the Captain. One of the batarians shot him in the leg causing him to tumble to the ground. The rest of the batarians gunned down the marines in cold blood as Shepard watched in horror.


	6. Chapter 6

"Take the Asari to the shuttle, if you don't hear from me or if someone tries to stop you, kill her." The Captain said as the batarians escorted Liara out of the room at gun point.

"Shepard to strike team… abort the mission, get out of here!" Shepard said

"I think the alliance would pay a fine ransom for your head" the Captain said chuckling to himself.

Shepard scanned the room for any vulnerabilities to use against them or weapons to grab, he only had one shot and he couldn't afford to miss, Liara was counting on him.

"Don't even think about it Commander, I've got reinforcements coming there's no way out of this one," the Captain said as he started walking back to the main console. Shepard seized the moment and used his biotics to pull a damaged pipe from the wall, causing it to spew coolant everywhere. Shepard ignored the pain in his leg and tackled one of the guards grabbing his gun. He quickly gunned down the remaining batarians guards, leaving the Captain for last. As the Captain started to run for the communications console Shepard readied his rifle and shot him in the knees, "You know for having four eyes, you'd think you batarians would've seen this coming." Shepard said as he limped over to his pistol he had dropped. The Captain started to try and push himself over to his weapon.

"Don't bother." Shepard said as he kneeled over the Captain.

"We…we can make a deal, don't be unre- "

"Don't waste your breath," Shepard said as he pulled the trigger.

Shepard stood up slowly trying to block out the pain as he started to limp down the hallway. He pulled up the schematics on his Omni tool and reviewed the schematics to find where they'd docked their shuttle. He saw the pirates had boarded through the primary maintenance bay on this deck, "That has to be where the shuttle is at," Shepard thought to himself. He quickly limped down the corridor, he could tell he was losing a lot of blood. When he arrived at the hatch he quickly went to work bypassing the lock, he was by no means an expert but he thought he could manage it.

"Where the hell have you been?" Said the batarian as he turned around, "Shit," the batarian said as he tried to grab his pistol on the console behind him but Shepard shot him in the shoulder.

"You better start talking before I gouge your eyes out one at a time," Shepard said as he backed the batarian against the wall.

"I don't know- "

"Normandy to Shepard! Can you read me Commander?" Joker said over the com

"I read you Joker, what's going on?" Shepard said as he slammed the batarian against the wall.

"We've got three unmarked cruisers on direct approach, I don't think their friendly and we're a sitting duck out here." Joker said

"Damnit! We're on our way Joker, make sure we're ready to leave when we get there," Shepard said as he turned back to the batarian and shot him.


	7. Chapter 7

"Come on Liara, let's get out of here," as he stumbled towards the door.

"Shepard you're bleeding!" Liara said as she leaned down and wrapped his arm around her neck.

"I'll be fine let's get out of here," Shepard said as they limped down the corridor. They stepped into the elevator and closed the door.

"We've got a minute, let me see your leg Shepard," Liara said as she helped Shepard sit.

"I'll be fine," Shepard said as Liara started to remove some of his leg armor.

"Are you always this stubborn Shepard?" As she applied some medi-gel to the wound.

"Commander those reinforcements are about two minutes out; we need to move!" Joker yelled into the com.

"Shepard's been injured we're almost to the lower deck, we'll be there!" Liara said as she finished patching Shepard up.

"Roger that," Joker said as the elevator came to a stop at the bottom deck. Liara helped Shepard back onto his feet and wrapped his arm around her neck again. They started limping down the corridor as Garrus rushed to meet them, "Shepard why does everyone you meet want to shoot you? I can't say I blame them either, the feelings mutual." Garrus said as he grabbed Shepard's other arm.

"Maybe it's my charming personality Garrus," Shepard said as they reached the docking hatch.

"Joker we're in, blow this ship to hell and get us out of here!" Shepard said as he limped into the CIC and leaned against a console.

"Commander what about the data?" Kaidan said as he walked into the CIC.

"Forget about the data, as long as it doesn't fall into the wrong hands it's not our concern," Shepard said.

"Whatever you say Shepard," Kaidan said trying to contain his disposition. The Normandy quickly released its grip onto the science frigate and released its full armament on the ship leaving its GUARDIAN lasers and torpedoes to quickly dispatch the ship and any data that that was left on it. The only remnants of the ship were a floating pile of burning debris as the Normandy left the system.

"Commander we need to get you looked at by Dr. Chakwas." Liara said as she grabbed Shepard's arm, "Come on I'll help you down to the med bay". As Liara helped him down to the med bay and onto the bed Dr. Chakwas came over to them.

"What happened this time Commander?" Dr. Chakwas said as she started examining the wound.

"Just a little disagreement," Shepard said, "you should see the other guy."

"Well thankfully you didn't lose too much blood, and it doesn't look like there's any permanent damage but for now try and stay away from anymore… disagreements Commander," said Dr. Chakwas as she finished patching him up, "You can go to your quarters and get some rest Commander, check back with me in a few days".

"Thanks Doc," Shepard said as Liara helped him out of the bed and over to a com panel, "Joker set a course for the Citadel and inform me when we arrive," said Shepard.

"Aye aye Commander setting a course," Joker said as he closed the com.

"Thanks for the help Liara, I think I just need to rest for a while," Shepard said as he began limping out of the med bay.

Liara grabbed his arm, "Not so fast Shepard, you can hardly walk." As she helped him out of the med bay.

"Hell, maybe I should get shot more often" Shepard said as he smiled over at Liara

"Well I could always just have Wrex help you around," Liara said smiling.

"You know on second thought; I better not push my luck," he said as they reached his quarters. "You can stay awhile if you'd like," Shepard said as they walked into his quarters.

"I'd figure you'd want to get some rest," Liara said as she helped Shepard sit down at his desk.

"No you'd be a welcome distraction," Shepard said as he pulled out another chair in front of him.

"I suppose I could make some time for you," Liara said smiling as she sat down.

"Thanks… I think," Shepard said as he laid back in his chair.


	8. Chapter 8

Shepard's numerous medals laying in a pile on his desk caught Liara's eye, "Haven't had time to put them up?" Liara asked

"You could say that," Shepard said as he turned to look over as the medals, "I usually prefer to keep them out of sight."

"Why?" Liara asked

"Most of them are from the Blitz," Shepard said as he turned back to Liara.

"The Skyllian Blitz, I read about that mission in your file. You saved an entire colony almost single handedly I'd figure that was something you'd be proud of," Liara said as she examined one of the medals in her hand.

"That's what a lot of people say but… It's hard to feel proud about killing that many people. I know why I had to do it but…"

"You don't have to explain yourself Shepard" Liara said as she put her hand over his and sat the medal on the desk, "I'm not sure I could even fathom doing what you did."

"The only reason I keep them around is for the victims, children, mothers, fathers, and soldiers. They deserve to be remembered," Shepard said as he examined the medal Liara was holding in his hand.

"We can talk about something else, if this is too uncomfortable for you," Liara said.

"No it's fine, I don't think I've ever really talked to anyone about it before" Shepard said as he leaned toward Liara, "well no one that mattered that is," as he placed his other hand on top of hers.

"It…it means a lot to hear you say that Shepard," she said as she leaned back into her chair.

"You know I don't really think I realized how much you meant to me before. I mean we've only known each other for a few weeks but… when I saw that gun to you head, I couldn't bear the thought of living without you," Shepard said as he leaned back into his chair, letting go of Liara's hand.

"I thought you were dead the second you lowered your pistol." Liara said leaning forward from her chair.

"I just wish I could've saved those men…" Shepard said as he leaned toward Liara, "He just- "

"Don't start Shepard" Liara said as she put her hand on his shoulder, "No one saw that coming, it was just… cold. Even for a pirate."

"How do I tell that to their families?" Shepard said

"You tell them that they died protecting their team and the thousands of innocent people that would have died had that data fallen into the wrong hands." Liara said as she squeezed his shoulder, "Now get some rest, you're not going to be saving anyone anytime soon if you don't let that leg heal," Liara said as she began to stand up.

Shepard shot up out of his chair ignoring the pain in his leg, "I love you" he said as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the lips.

"I love you to," Liara said as she broke for air. She wrapped her arms around his back and kissed him again.

"You know Liara," Shepard said breaking the kiss, "we could always leave saving the galaxy to someone else, run off to some nice little garden planet and have lots of little blue babies."

"Don't tempt me Shepard," Liara said as she smiled up at him, "Now get some rest, Dr. Chakwas wouldn't forgive me if all that time she spent patching your leg up went to waste."

"I wouldn't call kissing you a waste," Shepard said as he kissed her again. After a few moments they stopped kissing and Liara helped Shepard over to his bed. "Thanks Liara," Shepard said as he sat down on his bed.

"I'll stop by in a bit to see how you're doing," Liara said as she started to walk back to the door, "Try not to get shot or anything while I'm gone."

"No promises," Shepard said as he began to lie down.

Liara smiled back at Shepard and headed back to her quarters.


	9. Chapter 9

The pain in his leg began to subside thanks to the meds Chakwas gave him, he probably shouldn't have stood up like that but it was probably worth it. As soon as he remembered falling asleep the relentless beeping of his alarm woke him. Shepard sat up in his bed and began to carefully examine his wound, it was practically gone now except for a bit of scare tissue.

He stood up slowly from his bed, most of the pain had completely stopped. He walked over to the sink to wash off his face, splashing the cool water on his face to wake him up. He changed into a new uniform tossing the old into a bin. Shepard looked over at his desk seeing the pile of medals, reminding him off the responsibility that he still had to bear. He walked over and took a seat at the desk and activated the terminal. As he began working on his report and the letters to the families of the men he lost on the mission. After a few moments the com buzzed to life, "Commander, we're about two hours out from the Citadel," Joker said.

"Roger that I'll be up there as soon as I finish these reports," Shepard said as he closed the channel.

Once he had completed the majority of the reports the com system interrupted him again, "Shepard do you mind if I come in?" Liara said as she waited outside the door.

"Of course not, come in." Shepard said as Liara walked inside.

"Mission reports?" Liara said as she gazed over at his terminal

"Yeah… haven't had to file one like this in… quite some time. Never gets any easier." Shepard said as he gazed over at his report.

"I can't say I envy you, telling a person that their child is dead… it's horrible," Liara said as she walked over to him.

"Let me finish these reports and we can get something to eat, alright?" Shepard said as he turned back to his terminal, "I'm almost finished anyway".

"Sure" She said as she bent over and kissed his neck, "I'll just review some of my data here if you don't mind?"

"Sure make yourself at home," Shepard said as he continued working on his report. Liara went over and sat on his bed, opening her omni-tool as she reviewed some of her data.

Shepard looked glanced back to see Liara deep into her reading, "Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you look when you're reading?" Shepard said as he smiled at her.

Liara looked up from her research, "Apparently you haven't seen me when I'm jotting down notes at a dig site," she said, "It's not pretty," she laughed.

"I don't think that's possible," Shepard said as he turned back to finish up his report. Shepard finished filing his report and stood up from his chair.

"Ready?" Liara asked as she closed her research and stood up.

"Yeah, let's go" Shepard said as he opened the door for Liara. They walked out of his quarters towards the mess hall, "So Liara, have you ever tried the biscuits and gravy?" Shepard asked as they reached the mess.

"I cannot say I have Shepard, are they any good?" Liara asked

"Well… they're less bad than everything else I suppose. Somehow I doubt the Alliance had taste in mind when figuring out what we were going to eat," Shepard said as they entered the line for the mess.

"Good morning you two, what fine slop will you be having this morning?" The cook asked as he presented his fine selection of slop.

Liara turned back to Shepard asking, "What was it called again?"

"We'll take two biscuits and gravies," Shepard said to the cook.

Liara punched him playfully in the arm, "That's what I was about to say"

Shepard grabbed Liara into a side hug, "Sure you were."

"Don't make me kick you in the leg," Liara said as the cook offered them their food. They grabbed their food and walked to a spot at the far corner of the table, not too far from another group of crewman having breakfast together. Shepard pulled out a chair for Liara as she sat down and walked to the other side and took his seat.


	10. Chapter 10

"Shepard do you ever notice how a lot of the crew seems to… stare at us?" Liara asked in between bites.

"Yeah, I just don't think they're used to a Commander being... well with someone." Shepard said as he wiped his mouth.

"You don't think me being an Asari has anything to do with it?" Liara asked, "I know humans have somewhat of a reputation for being… distrustful towards most other races."

"I wouldn't say most humans are xenophobic, just… cautious. We just haven't had the time to get to know the other species yet, I'm sure in time we'll get past it as a race." Shepard said before he took another bite. "You know Alenko has a thing for Asari?" Shepard said as he took another bite.

"Oh does he now?" Liara asked as she continued eating.

"Don't worry, I told him I saw you first" Shepard said as he wiped some gravy off his mouth with a napkin.

"Do you and the Lieutenant… get a long okay?" Liara asked as she finished the last of her food.

"It's rocky but I like him, he keeps me in check," Shepard said, "He's not what you'd call social though, with the headaches and all."

"Yes, that must be hard for him," Liara said as she took another bite.

"Well look who it is!" Garrus said as he came into the mess, "Did anyone shoot you on the way here?" Garrus asked as he walked over to the table carrying his rations.

"I didn't know we carried dinosaur food on the ship," Shepard said as he smiled at Garrus.

"How's the leg doing?" Garrus asked as he opened his rations onto his tray.

"Almost fully healed, just a little sore." Shepard said

"Maybe if you would stay off of it, Commander" Liara said to Shepard with a grin on her face.

Garrus smiled, "Get a room you two. Wait, on second thought maybe I should get shot next. I can get a pretty Turian to help me around the ship."

"No, I'd think Wrex would be more inclined to help the poor injured Turian around." Liara said as she smiled at Garrus.

"That sounds like a great idea, Liara." Shepard said looking over at Garrus.

"You know, on second thought getting shot isn't sounding so good anymore." Garrus said as he began eating.

"Well I'd better get up to the CIC before Joker starts wondering where I'm at." Shepard said as he finished his food. Shepard leaned over the table and gave Liara a kiss on the forehead, "I'll see you in a bit"

Garrus looked over at Liara, "Don't I get a kiss?"

"I'm sure Shepard would love to give you a kiss," Liara said grinning over at Shepard

"On second thought, I'm good," Garrus said as he looked over at Shepard.

Shepard smiled and started heading towards the CIC. The pain in his leg was almost completely absent now, which he was thankful for.

"Good morning Commander," Presley said as he saluted Shepard.

Shepard returned the salute, "At ease," he said as he walked over to the cockpit. "How much longer do we have Joker?"

"We're about thirty minutes out Shepard," Joker said as he fiddled with some of the screens.

"Alright," Shepard said as he walked back to the CIC, "Have all the reports been filed Presley?"

"Yes sir," Presley said as he turned to Shepard.

"Go ahead and patch me through to the Council, let's get this over with," Shepard said as he walked toward the com room. As he entered the projection of each council member activated.

"Commander, we've received your reports. We apologize for the loss of your marines, we'll make sure their sacrifice wasn't in vein," The Asari councilor said.

"Thank you Councilor," Shepard said.

"It's a shame you were not able to back up the data, though only a minor setback," Said the Salarian councilor.

"Indeed, we're just glad that it's no longer in the hands of pirates," said the Turian councilor.

"Thank you for handling this matter Commander, you're free to return to your mission with Saren," the Asari councilor said, "we'll be waiting for your next report."

The projectors went dark as each of the councilors images faded, Shepard let out a sigh of relief as he left the room. He felt the gentle shake of the clamps as they docked with the Citadel, "Presley make sure we're stocked and refueled. I want to be ready to leave by tomorrow until then consider it some well-earned shore leave," Shepard said as he walked over to the stairwell.

"Aye Commander, will do" Presley said as he began making the arrangements.

As Shepard was walking to Liara's quarters he was stopped by Chakwas, "Commander, just the man I was looking for. How's the leg doing?" Chakwas asked

"It's good Doc, don't tell me you need more scans. You know I hate check-ups." Shepard said as he looked over at Chakwas.

"I suppose I'll make an exception for you Commander, but I will need to get a scan from you in a few weeks to make sure there's no remaining damage." Chakwas said

"Thanks Doc," Shepard said as he walked over to Liara's door, "Can I come in?"

"Of course come in Shepard," Liara said.

Shepard walked through the door as he was greeted with a kiss on the cheek from Liara.

"How'd the report to the Council go?" Liara asked as she led him over to her desk.

"Surprisingly well, they gave their condolences for our loss. Given the circumstances I think they were just surprised we got the job done and the data was destroyed so… that's a win." Shepard said as he sat down at the corner of her bed.

"I'm surprised to hear that," Liara said as she turned her desk seat to face Shepard and sat.

"Hell not even the Turian gave me any shit, maybe today's just my lucky day," Shepard said, "I've still got to talk to Kaidan though, that's not going to be pretty."

"He doesn't agree with how we handled the mission?" Liara asked sitting back in her chair

"You could say that, though I can't blame him. If it had been anyone else, they had hostage… I'm not sure I would have stood down," Shepard said.

"You did what you thought was right and still completed the mission, don't beat yourself up over it Shepard," Liara said.

"Maybe your right but I'd still make the same call again," Shepard said as he put his hand on her knee, "You're too important to lose."

"Are you referring to my knowledge of the Protheans or…"

"Both." Shepard said, "You know we've got a day of shore leave did you have any plans?"

"Nothing in particular," She said as she grabbed his hand from her knee, "What did you have in mind?" She said as she interlocked her fingers with his.

"I was thinking I could show you some real human food, then maybe we could go see a movie," Shepard said

"And then?" Liara asked.

"We could go somewhere quiet and…"

"I think we can work something out…" As she leaned forward and kissed him.

"Well before we go, I'd better talk to Kaidan." Shepard said as he stood up.

"Well, I'll meet you in a few hours and we'll figure something out," Liara said as she led him to the door.

"See you then," Shepard said as he walked out. Shepard walked over to the com panel and activated it, "Kaidan I need to see you for a debriefing, meet me in the com room."

"I'll be there Commander," Kaidan said as the line went dead.

Shepard walked out of the med bay and headed toward the com room. When Shepard reached the com room door he saw Kaiden emerge at the other siide. They both entered the com room together, "Commander," Kaidan said as he walked in.

"Your thoughts on the mission?" Shepard said as he took a seat

"Permission to speak freely sir?" Kaidan said as he took a seat across from Shepard.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Shepard said.

"You let your emotions get in the way of your command and it almost cost us the mission. It costed us three marines!" Kaidan said as he leaned forward in his chair

"Dr. T'Soni is an important part of the mission you know that Lieutenant!" Shepard said as he leaned forward, "And no one could've predicted that they would kill the marines in cold blood!"

"Are you saying even if Liara wasn't crucial to the mission you wouldn't have stood down?" Kaidan asked

"…No Kaidan, I'd have made the same call," Shepard said.

"As a friend Shepard, I know why you did what you did. I know you didn't intentionally get those men killed. You just… need to be careful not everyone will see it that way," Kaidan said, "And Shepard, thanks for clearing the air. I know as a Spectre you don't have to answer to anyone but the council. Hell you could kill civilians and people would hardly bat an eye," Kaidan said as he leaned back into his chair. "The fact that you take the time to consult with me… It's why I'd trust you with my life Commander. I think the same goes for everyone on this ship," Kaidan said as he stood up.

"Thanks Kaidan, that means a lot to hear you say that," Shepard said as he stood up, "Now how about we go enjoy some shore leave."

"My thoughts exactly Commander," Kaidan said as they left the com room, "See you around Commander."

 **Sequel is out!** **s/12024995/1/A-Night-to-Remember**

(For some reason the site filters out the first part of the url so just add the fanfiction part or find it on my profile)

 **Please leave a review or a favorite if you liked the story (or hated :P)**

 **Keep in mind this is my first story so any constructive criticism is much appreciated, I hope the chapters weren't too long/short**


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